Hydrosphere Flashcards
Name the 4 erosional processes
Abrasion, attrition, hydraulic action and solution
What is abrasion?
When rocks in the water grind down other rocks like sand paper
What is attrition?
when rocks in the water smash against each other and break into smaller pieces
What is solution?
when acids and salts in the water dissolve the rocks
What is Hydraulic action?
The sheer force of the water forces air into cracks in the rocks, forcing them to widen and break
where do meanders form?
flatter land in the mid to lower course of the river
What do rivers develop?
deeper pools of slower moving water and shallower, faster riffles
What does the formation of pools and riffles cause?
Different rates of erosion
What happens as a result of different rates of erosion?
the river develops a side to side swaying pattern
Where is the river deeper and faster?
The outer bend
What forms at the outer bend?
A river cliff
what happens to eroded sediment?
It is carried due to the hellicoidal flow of water (the corkscrew motion)
Where is the river shallower and slower?
The inside bend
How much energy does the water have at the inner bend?
Little
What is deposited at the inner bend?
Sediment
